A Christmas Soulmate
by Caitriona3
Summary: One-shot - Darcy meets her soulmate at Christmas. Written for tumblr's Darcy Lewis Secret Santa. (Title edited to avoid confusion with another work in the same fandom.)


_Author's Note: Written for zelda2h2 at tumblr's Darcy Lewis Secret Santa_

 **A Soulmate for Christmas**

Darcy Lewis rested her head on her arms as she sat slumped over her desk. Most days she loved being the assistant to the brilliant Jane Foster and the favorite lighting sister to the heroic Thor, but this Christmas might drive her insane enough to run away from the whole thing. She loved Christmas – loved the music and the lights and the tastes of Christmas. Even the snow tended to get two big thumbs up. But now? Now she wanted to get past this Christmas before she lose her fricking mind.

And it was all Tony Stark's fault!

Thor loved the idea of Christmas and felt it gave him free reign to shower gifts on Jane. He wanted to share in the traditions of Midgard, including the twelve days of Christmas. Darcy explained the season to him, explaining how it stretched from Christmas to another day referred to as the Epiphany. While he felt unsure about the story and the faith behind it, he appreciated the idea of having this time to draw people together to celebrate peace. Most of the team found his wish to share Christmas traditions to be sweet, possibly quaint, but still a wonderful idea.

Tony, the current pain in her ass, found it a good time to play a prank by convincing his teammate that the lyrics of the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" provided a list of gifts for a man to share with his beloved.

She had to admit – she found it funny for the first couple of days. Who would not be amused by a big warrior like Thor presenting his ladylove with a partridge in a pear tree? Even the two turtle doves might be considered acceptable since they did represent devoted love. But then things got a little out of hand. Three French hens? Oh, yes, he brought those as well. Four calling birds? Check.

The five gold rings worked better as he made sure each of them possessed a different gemstone and Jane could switch them out depending on her outfit. They gave him a pass on that one.

But today? Today brought a gift of six geese.

Jane hated geese. Doctor Jane Foster, the woman who rewrote the laws of physics almost at will and who let herself get taken across the universe by means of a bridge made of light, was scared to death of geese. The shriek she gave when they showed up in her rooms at the break of dawn had probably woken the warriors on Asgard – let alone the Avengers.

The team members currently in the Tower flew into action as the scream echoed through their floors. Darcy lived on the same floor, just down the hall, and she ran to her friends as soon as she had managed to fight her way free of her quilt. Natasha appeared from somewhere, blocking Darcy before she could rush through the door. She did her best to peer around the redhead in time to spot Clint dropping from a vent. Everyone froze in surprise as the geese rushed around the room, honking and hissing their displeasure.

Jane stood screeching at the birds, at Thor, at anyone and everyone she could see. Thor stared at her, flinching whenever she turned in his direction. Darcy had taken one good long look at the entire situation before pushing past Natasha. "Thor, get those birds out of here!" she ordered. "Now!"

The two spies helped him get the birds out of the apartment as Darcy worked to soothe her best friend. It took a good deal of time, but she finally managed to convince the petite scientist to calm down enough to climb off of the counters. Darcy managed to get Jane into a bath with a glass of wine. Giving her a heartfelt promise to double check for any geese, the dark haired assistant left the apartment to find herself facing the concerned boyfriend. She gave him a fierce glare. "Don't you dare go back in there until you can give her your solid oath that every goose has been banished from the building."

"You have my word, Lady Darcy," he bowed before striding off to fulfill his task. She knew he meant it – not only had he given his word, but he referred to her by title, a title he only used when addressing her as Jane's protector. Apparently she possessed an official title in Asgard as a Lady Protector. Who knew?

Now she wondered how hard it would be to get back to her rooms without being seen. Her Christmas pajamas, some homemade hot chocolate, and a sappy movie waited for her.

"Darcy!" Thor's voice boomed through the lab. "Are you well?"

"Hey, big guy," she sat up and gave him the best smile she could manage. "I'm good, just a little tired. Did you manage to corral the geese?"

"I have indeed," he agreed. He rested one hip on the corner of her desk. "I intended no disruption and I am filled with sorrow at not having been aware of this fear of my lady."

"Yeah, well, Jane was bit by a goose as a child," she sighed. "Childhood fears, you know."

"Aye," he nodded. "They are the worst, and the hardest to remove." Then his face brightened. "I have learned that she finds swans to be a most beautiful bird however. And she has a great fondness for a performance referred to as Swan Lake."

"It's a ballet," she corrected. Then she paled. "Thor…please tell me you didn't bring swans to the Tower?"

"Nay, my friend," he shook his head. "I have brought no swans."

"Oh, thank God."

"I am unaware of where one might acquire such creatures," he continued, seeming to miss the relief in her tone. Thor straightened and strode towards the exit of the lab. "Fortunately friend Tony has arranged to help me by having them delivered on the morrow." He waved over his shoulder. "I must go and check on my lady to see if she is recovered from her fright. Farewell for now, my friend."

"Thor, wait!" When he did not return, she began pacing the small area in front of her desk. ""Tony Stark," she hissed. "I swear I am going to kill that man." The entire situation would have been funny if it happened to anyone else, anywhere else. But no – it had to happen here, to her best friend-slash-boss who could not bring herself to tell her boyfriend about Tony's joke. A shrill scream of sheer vexation built up in her chest and she gave into the need to let it free as she tossed her stress ball across the room. Then she slumped against her desk. "I need a vacation."

A rough, interested voice interrupted her grumbling. "You need help with something, Doll?"

"Only if I can talk you into stringing up a particularly annoying, pain in the ass billionaire," she replied as she turned to face the speaker.

Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes stood in the doorway, watching her; Steve's gaze holding amused curiosity, though Bucky stared at her in startled shock. She had met Steve before and the laughter fit their friendship. He appreciated the way she treated him like the average guy next door, not caring about the history or the legend or the super strength – except when she needed him to open the jelly jar. Bucky Barnes was the newest member of the Avengers. He had been kept separate, isolated while they worked through the mental mess left by HYDRA. No one wanted him loose around their affiliates until they felt sure he would not become a danger to them. This was not the first impression she had hoped to give Steve's best friend and long-lost brother.

Darcy sighed and huffed out a breath, trying for a smile. "And that's not exactly in the Christmas spirit. Can I just blame Tony for my mood and we'll pretend I'm not acting like a…" Her voice trailed away as her brain caught up with the conversation. She blinked, swinging back around to stare at Bucky. "Wait…what did you say?"

Steve's mouth curled into a satisfied smile. "I don't think you need me here," he noted, clapping one hand to Bucky's shoulder. "Bucky, this is Darcy Lewis, the person who keeps the scientists in line." He turned to her. "JARVIS can fill me in and I'll see if I can head off Thor."

Darcy shook herself free of her shocked silence and gave him a brilliant grin. "Snickerdoodles for you for a month if you can head off the seven swans. I am not explaining swans in the swimming pool."

"Swans?" Steve walked away, shaking his head in laughing bewilderment. "JARVIS?"

"If you will step into the elevator, Captain Rogers, I shall attempt to explain the current situation."

"I swear Tony gave that AI an amazing amount of sarcastic humor," she muttered before turning back to Bucky. "So…ah…soulmates?"

"Looks like," he agreed, his voice softening as he stepped closer. Bucky kept his movements slow as if he expected her to flinch back. One of his hands came up to touch a lock of her hair, letting it twine around his fingers before pulling back. He shook his head. "I'm not a good man, Doll."

She caught his hand before he could step back. "Hey, no," she disagreed. "You're a good man; you just got a raw deal." He started to shake his head, but Darcy tightened her fingers around his. "You are," she insisted. "None of what happened was your fault. You didn't volunteer for testing or for being a prisoner. You sure as hell didn't volunteer for all the mental torture they put you through." It became her turn to try and avoid spooking him as she moved closer. Her free hand lifted and she let her fingers trail along his jawline. "Personally I think I'm getting a deal."

"Darcy-."

"You want to see your words?" she offered, cutting off what would probably be another bit of self-contempt. "I've always loved the placement." He nodded and she gave him a bright smile. She reached up to pull on the neckline of her top, shifting it down enough to reveal his words where they rested above her heart. His hand reached out once more, his fingers brushing over them. A shiver ran through her and his eyes darkened as they lifted to meet hers.

"Yours are on my right arm," he told her. His gentle touch shifted from his own words up to her shoulder where they rested as his free hand moved to push up his sleeve. The light flashed and gleamed on the metal, but she paid no attention. Her attention focused on the words spiraling up around his arm from his wrist to his shoulder.

A wry look entered her eyes as she gave him a half apologetic look. "I kind of wish my words were less…testy," she sighed. "Yours always gave me such a feeling of comfort, knowing my soulmate would be someone who would step in when I needed help. And mine-."

"They couldn't take them away."

"What?" Darcy blinked, surprised at his comment.

His hand tightened on her shoulder. "They tried to burn them away," he told her. "I remember the first time I woke up with them curling around my arm. I didn't understand what they were, but I knew they were important. And then…they tried to burn them." Bucky shook his head. "Nothing they did worked. They could take everything from me, but they couldn't take the words…your words." He stepped in closer, his fingers trailing from her shoulder to take her hand. "When I was working with Steve and Sam, trying to get my head on straight, I kept slipping back to being the Asset, but…then I would look at the words and I remembered what Sam told me. He said they meant I had a soulmate waiting for me somewhere. And if I had a soulmate, then I had a soul…and I was a person." His metal hand came up and cupped her cheek. He froze, watching her as if to judge her response. She leaned into the touch and his eyes grew warm. "Your words helped me…they gave me a foundation to build upon."

"Oh…" Tears pricked her eyes and a flash of alarm flickered in his face. "That's…" Her free hand came up to touch the hand on her cheek. "I'm glad."

Bucky watched her for a moment, stared at her as if expecting her to be a dream who might vanish if he moved too swiftly. Then he bent his head, his eyes locked on hers as he drew closer. He stopped, his lips a breath away from hers, and he waited. Darcy stared up at him, feeling the warmth of his breath as it whispered across her lips. Those lips curved into a gentle smile and she lifted up to press her mouth to his.

Their eyes remained open, gazes locked to one another for the first few seconds as if neither felt able to trust this to be reality. Then Darcy allowed her eyes to slip closed. She lost herself to the kiss, to the movement of his lips on hers. Now she understood what people meant when they said everything clicked into place when they met their soulmate. Everything in her reached out to Bucky, feeling her soul reaching out to his, linking and tying them together until nothing but death could separate them.

She wondered if even then some remnant of the link might remain, ready to be reignited when both moved into the next life.

He pulled back, a new smile on his lips – a smile of hope and a newfound faith in the future. "I never really expected to find you," he admitted, their connection a bright and shining light in his eyes. Awe and wonder filled his expression as he rested his forehead against hers. "It feels like a miracle."

"Christmas is a time for miracles," she reminded him, her own smile blossoming into a joyful expression. "We can be each other's miracle." Her hand tightened around his. "Merry Christmas, Bucky Barnes."

"Merry Christmas, Darcy Lewis."


End file.
